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Grants to USA, Canada, and International postdoctoral fellows, Neurology residents, and university postdoctoral faculty for independent research projects in epilepsy. Applicants must submit a letter of intent prior to submitting a full application. Funding is intended to give young researchers a chance to develop a separate research focus from their mentor(s).

CURE’s investigator-initiated grants program seeks to push the envelope and accelerate promising research leading to disease-modifying breakthroughs for people living with epilepsy. CURE prioritizes highly innovative, risky, paradigm-shifting projects that address CURE’s mission to cure epilepsy, affirming their core belief that the only acceptable final goal is “no seizures, no side-effects.” The mission is to cure epilepsy, by promoting and funding patient-focused research.

Researchers may propose basic or clinical studies, but this award mechanism is not intended to support clinical trials. Research that involves collaboration and a multidisciplinary approach is desirable. Applicant will be required to discuss how this avenue of research is independent from his or her mentor’s research and will lead him or her to a path of independent epilepsy research. Studies are encouraged that will provide new directions for epilepsy therapy, prevention and, ultimately, a cure and that will allow applicants to collect the data necessary to support grant application to the National Institutes of Health or similar granting agency.

CURE’s priority research areas focus on those that have the potential to truly transform and save lives. Prevention, disease modification, and elimination are critical goals and consistent with CURE's mission. Priority areas:
- Transformative research to enhance understanding of the cellular, molecular, genetic and systems-level mechanisms that lead to any of the epilepsies, facilitating the continued investigation of disease-modifying or preventative strategies
- Innovative approaches that can prevent, modify and/or arrest the development of acquired epilepsy after stroke, tumor, viral infection, etc.*
- Research that will inform the development of novel therapies to prevent onset or halt the progression of the severe pediatric epilepsies
- Research focused on new, effective treatments for the >30% of the epilepsy population who are pharmacoresistant
- Novel research that furthers our understanding of the causes and ultimate elimination of SUDEP
- Translational, clinical, and clinically-informed basic research that will facilitate understanding of the cellular-, molecular-, and systems-level mechanisms that underlie the relationships between sleep and epilepsy.

*Due to the launch of CURE’s Post-Traumatic Epilepsy Team Science Initiative in collaboration with the Department of Defense, this priority area has been revised to exclude epilepsy as a result of head injury.

Based on CURE’s current research objectives, lower priority will be given for research in the following areas:
- Research that focuses solely on a comorbid condition without also seeking to understand the accompanying epilepsy
- Research that focuses solely on improving localization of the epileptic seizure focus.

Funding requests may include salary support for the PI, technical staff and/or collaborators; supplies, animal costs, publication fees etc.; and travel to an epilepsy-related conference if the PI is presenting his/her CURE-funded research. There is a travel cap of $1,500 USD for international applicants and $1,000 USD for U.S. and Canadian applicants per year which can be budgeted for a maximum of two investigators (the PI and Co-PI).

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The grant funds research from academic and non-academic laboratories. CURE funds researchers working at universities, companies and non-profit research institutions.

Applicants must fall into one of the following categories to be eligible for the Taking Flight Award:
- A senior postdoctoral fellow who has a minimum of 3 years postdoctoral experience
- A clinical fellow who is a Neurology Resident in his/her Neurology training and considering Epilepsy Fellowships
- Newly appointed faculty within one year of having completed postdoctoral training

Individuals from any country are eligible to apply; you do not have to be a US citizen or working in the US to apply for this award. All materials must be submitted in English.

There is no limit to the number of researchers from the same institution who can apply for the same grant. However, grantees cannot receive funding on two different awards at the same time.

Funds are not to be used to purchase equipment. Indirect costs are not supported.

Pre-Application Information:

All individuals invited to submit full applications will be required to submit two letters of support; one letter of support from their direct supervisor/mentor and one letter of support from another senior investigator/clinician familiar with the individual’s expertise, experience, and potential to develop an independent investigator-initiated research program. For new faculty, Department Chairs can provide letters of support since they are the direct supervisors of their faculty.